Chondromyxoid fibroma of distal 1/3rd of fibula a rare tumour at rare site

Chondromyxoid fibromas are rare, benign tumours account for <1% of primary bone neoplasms. Most commonly affected in 2nd and 3rdof life. We report one such case of chondromyxoid fibroma in distal fibula of a 15-year-old girl. The patient was managed with lower 3rd fibulectomy and fibular turnoplasty from middle 3rd fibula with 1/3rd tubular plate fixation for stabilization followed by bone grafting. The patient is disease free since 3 years.Keywords: Chondromyxoid fibroma, lower 1/3rd of fibula, Fibular Turnoplast

A Study of the Feasibility and Potential Implementation of Metro-Based Freight Transportation in Newcastle upon Tyne

The concept of using a metropolitan railway network to transport freight directly to a city centre from the surrounding businesses has been the subject of much research. This paper looks in depth at the Tyne and Wear Metro system, situated in Newcastle upon Tyne, to determine if such a scheme would be feasible. Through research into the modes of transport available, along with a review of literature and case studies, it was found that the current method of transporting the majority of freight by road is unsustainable and damaging to both the environment and local communities. Other options for the transportation of freight have been reviewed, and results showed that a modal shift will be necessary in the near future. The system was then modelled using software provided by the Department for Transport, which demonstrated that the implementation of such a scheme would provide vast accident savings, a reduction in the number of casualties on the road, and a monetary saving as a result of the lower casualty rate. The conclusion was reached that the scheme is viable, however further research and study is necessary before implementation

Month of birth and child height in 40 countries

Lokshin and Radyakin (2012) present evidence that month of birth affects child physical growth in India. We replicate these correlations using the same data and demonstrate that they are the result of a spurious relationship between month of birth, age-at-measurement and child growth patterns in developing countries. We repeat the analysis on 39 additional countries and show that there is no evidence of seasonal birth effects in child height-for-age z-score in any country. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the Demographic and Health Survey data used to estimate the correlation is not suitable for the task due to a previously unrecognized source of measurement error in child month of birth. We document results from several papers that should be re-interpreted in light of this issue

Highly parallel assays of tissue-specific enhancers in whole Drosophila embryos

Transcriptional enhancers are a primary mechanism by which tissue-specific gene expression is achieved. Despite the importance of these regulatory elements in development, responses to environmental stresses, and disease, testing enhancer activity in animals remains tedious, with a minority of enhancers having been characterized. Here, we have developed ‘enhancer-FACS-Seq’ (eFS) technology for highly parallel identification of active, tissue-specific enhancers in Drosophila embryos. Analysis of enhancers identified by eFS to be active in mesodermal tissues revealed enriched DNA binding site motifs of known and putative, novel mesodermal transcription factors (TFs). Naïve Bayes classifiers using TF binding site motifs accurately predicted mesodermal enhancer activity. Application of eFS to other cell types and organisms should accelerate the cataloging of enhancers and understanding how transcriptional regulation is encoded within them

Gender-dependent differences in plasma matrix metalloproteinase-8 elevated in pulmonary tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global health pandemic and greater understanding of underlying pathogenesis is required to develop novel therapeutic and diagnostic approaches. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are emerging as key effectors of tissue destruction in TB but have not been comprehensively studied in plasma, nor have gender differences been investigated. We measured the plasma concentrations of MMPs in a carefully characterised, prospectively recruited clinical cohort of 380 individuals. The collagenases, MMP-1 and MMP-8, were elevated in plasma of patients with pulmonary TB relative to healthy controls, and MMP-7 (matrilysin) and MMP-9 (gelatinase B) were also increased. MMP-8 was TB-specific (p<0.001), not being elevated in symptomatic controls (symptoms suspicious of TB but active disease excluded). Plasma MMP-8 concentrations inversely correlated with body mass index. Plasma MMP-8 concentration was 1.51-fold higher in males than females with TB (p<0.05) and this difference was not due to greater disease severity in men. Gender-specific analysis of MMPs demonstrated consistent increase in MMP-1 and -8 in TB, but MMP-8 was a better discriminator for TB in men. Plasma collagenases are elevated in pulmonary TB and differ between men and women. Gender must be considered in investigation of TB immunopathology and development of novel diagnostic markers

Mouse transcriptome reveals potential signatures of protection and pathogenesis in human tuberculosis

Although mouse infection models have been extensively used to study the host response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, their validity in revealing determinants of human tuberculosis (TB) resistance and disease progression has been heavily debated. Here, we show that the modular transcriptional signature in the blood of susceptible mice infected with a clinical isolate of M. tuberculosis resembles that of active human TB disease, with dominance of a type I interferon response and neutrophil activation and recruitment, together with a loss in B lymphocyte, natural killer and T cell effector responses. In addition, resistant but not susceptible strains of mice show increased lung B cell, natural killer and T cell effector responses in the lung upon infection. Notably, the blood signature of active disease shared by mice and humans is also evident in latent TB progressors before diagnosis, suggesting that these responses both predict and contribute to the pathogenesis of progressive M. tuberculosis infection

Dose-responsive gene expression in suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid-treated resting CD4+ T cells

Persistent latently infected CD4+ T cells represent a major obstacle to HIV eradication. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) are a proposed activation therapy. However, off-target effects on expression in host immune cells are poorly understood. We hypothesized that HDACi-modulated genes would be best identified with dose-response analysis

Identification and assessment of potential wind energy project sites in the State of Maryland

Gemstone Team RenewablesThe international scientific community has reached consensus that greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced to minimize global climate change impacts on the environment, economy, and public health. In 2007, the University of Maryland's Climate Action Plan Workgroup was tasked with charting the University’s path toward carbon neutrality. To aid in this effort, this report identifies the best sites in Western Maryland for wind development. Geographic information systems data on wind speed, land protections, and transmission infrastructure were used to assign scores for physical, social and environmental characteristics of prospective sites. Attribute scores were entered into a systematic weighting system to determine overall site suitability. A financial analysis was conducted for the highest ranked sites using RETScreen software, which generated projections for payback periods and return on investment. The list of suitable sites produced through this research provides the University with a starting point for exploration of off-site wind power production